The student who allegedly opened fire in a Taft Union High School classroom will be tried as an adult. Bryan Oliver was charged Monday with two counts of attempted murder and three counts of assault with a firearm.
Kern County District Attorney Lisa Green said the fact that Oliver used a gun and planned the shootings, are just a few of the reasons she's charging Oliver as an adult.
Adult charges mean Oliver could spend the rest of his life in prison. An attempted murder with a firearm conviction faces a mandatory 25 years to life prison sentence.
Bryan Oliver walked with his head down in the courtroom Monday afternoon, as a judge read the charges against him.
According to court papers, Oliver admitted to bringing a "12 gauge shotgun" into Taft Union High School last Thursday.
The document says Oliver aimed at Bowe Cleveland, hitting him in the upper chest. The document says he then fired a second shot at Jacob Nickels who was in a crowd of students running.
The documents say Oliver fired the weapon at Bowe and Jacob because they "annoyed" and "bullied" him.
After reviewing those facts, Green decided to try Oliver as an adult.
"The fact that he was almost 16 and a half at the time of the shooting, combined with the circumstances surrounding the incident, suggests that the primary purpose of the juvenile system, that being rehabilitation, would not be able to be accomplished," said Green.
Green said no more information will be released about the shooting because she wants to try this case in Kern County and she doesn't want to contaminate the jury pool.
"Bryan Oliver is entitled to a fair trial," said Green. "In the end, what we hope to accomplish is a jury of 12 citizens from Kern County on the evidence."
In court, Oliver's defense attorney asked that the media be barred from court.
"My client is 16 years old. He's a juvenile and we believe he should not be exposed to the cameras," said David Torres, Oliver's attorney.
But, a judge denied that motion, saying the case is a matter of community concern. Oliver will be held in Juvenile Hall for the time being, but if he's convicted and sentenced he could spend time in state prison.
"We are comfortable with the decision we made today and ready to obtain justice for the victims, just like we do in every case," said Green.
Bail was set at $1.5 million. Oliver is scheduled to appear in court in February.